Smithville Inn

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About
Name
  • Smithville Inn
Accommodation and Food Services
  • Food Services and Drinking Places
Trading names
  • Inn
Brands
  • Inn Maid Noodle Co.
Services
  • Hotel, Restaurant
Facts
Founded
  • 1818
    Wooster,Ohio
Dissolved
  • March2019
Related
Key Persons
Owners
Key Persons
  • Mae E. Beeler, Cook Worked at the Inn for 57 years. '"`UNIQ--ref-00000281-QINU`"'
Location
    • 109 W. Main St., Smithville, 44677, Ohio
  • Branch location
    • W. Liberty St., Wooster, 44691, Ohio

Colonial dining rooms, Former guests included: William McKinley, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dorothy Fuldheim and Louis Armstrong. The Smithville Inn was originally a Stage Coach Tavern in the 1800s. [2]

Origins of the Smithville Inn On June 25, 1818, President James Monroe granted deed to the land along the Portage Road to "James Hazlett assignee of Thomas Taylor." Originally a stagecoach tavern, the property has housed an inn since shortly after that date, providing room and board for stagecoach passengers. When the Reinings took over the inn in 1929, the rental of rooms was soon discontinued[3].

The Smithville Inn, Under It's New Manager The Smithville Inn, under its new manager and improved interior methods boasts of serving eighty-three chicken dinners and several dozen chicken sandwiches. [4]

Smithville Inn Is Now Under the Management of R. G. Everstine Smithville Inn is now under the management of R. G. Everstine, from Orange, N. J. He left the G. C. Murphy Co. at Orange to accept the managership of the Inn. He also had a long career with the A. and P. Co. [5]

Smithville Inn: Under New Management - J. L. Brink, Proprietor Smithville Inn: Under New Management - J. L. Brink, Proprietor [6] We are pleased to commend the popular Smithville Inn under the new and efficient management of ill J. L. Brink, who is a hall fellow, well met, and this is headquarters for special chicken and steak dinners and reservations are made for tourists. It is situated on the square, and a well equipped pocket billiard hall is run in connection and he carries a tempting line of cigars, tobacco, candles, soft drinks and ice cream in season. Mr. Brink is a grand success and a Prince of good fellowship and all are cordially invited to give him a trials.

FOR SALE: The Smithville Inn at a Bargain FOR SALE: The Smithville Inn at a bargain. Pool room in connection. Must sell on account of sickness. J. L. Brink, Smithville, Ohio [7]

Cammarn Sells 900 Taxi Co. Cammarn Sells 900 Taxi Co.: Dempsey and Murray Will Operate it From New Location. [8] The 900 Taxi Co., which has been operated by Vane Cammarn from headquarters on Buckeye street, in connection with the Hotel Wooster, was purchased last night by William Murray and Clayton E. Dempsey, who took charge this morning. No change in location was made today, but by the first of next week the new owners will likely operate the business from the bus station on the public square, of which Mr. Dempsey a manager Dempsey already operates a taxi line from there, having inaugurated the service some weeks ago.

Cammarn has gone into partnership with Roy Bowers and the two have purchased Smithville Inn, a popular eating place along the much traveled Portage Road. Whole they took possession some days ago, numerous changes are being made, and the place has not been opened, but will be, either tomorrow or Saturday.

The Smithville Inn Will Be Sold at Public Action on Saturday, Oct. 6 The Smithville Inn will be sold at public auction on Saturday, Oct. 6. [9]

Smithville Inn Folk to Operate Dining Room at Fair Smithville Inn Folk to Operate Dining Room at Fair. [10]

Jackson Day Banquet Attended by 700; F. D. R. Jr. Resembles Father In Speech Jackson Day Banquet Attended by 700; F. D. R. Jr. Resembles Father In Speech. [11]

Population of Smithville was almost doubled Monday evening, Jan. 9 from the hours of 6 to 11 p.m., when Smithville Inn was host to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., and 700 Wayne County democrats and special guests, at the annual Jackson Day banquet.

All available dining space in the huge banquet hall and smaller dining rooms was used and tables were also placed on the balcony. In addition, places for 100 were set in the adjoining grade school auditorium, and these latecomers were served from the Inn kitchen and then went to the Inn banquet hall for the program.

Diners began to arrive at 5 p.m. to be assured of a "ringside" seat, and by 6:30, the hour announced for the banquet, it was almost impossible to find a vacant chair in the several dining rooms.

Dignitaries from state and various county governments were introduced by the toastmaster, the Honorable John McSweeney, congressman from the 16th district.

Upon the arrival of the speaker, the Honorable Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., at 8:30 directly from the Cleveland airport, a great ovation was given him by the Jackson Day crowd and was repeated at intervals throughout his speech.

The junior congressman from New York looked and sounded much like his famous father, and his use of the phrase "again and again", brought smiles to the faces of the listeners as they remembered the words from speeches of several years ago. Roosevelt paid his respects to Andrew Jackson.

"As a member of the Roosevelt family, I have a soft spot for Andrew Jackson", he admitted. "He in his day, was perhaps the most maligned person in the country. If there had been a Westbrook Pegler then, Jackson would have been the butt of that columnist".

Congressman McSweeney called to the attention of the guests the fact that they were attending the 95th consecutive Jackson Day banquet in Wayne County. This is a record. Not even New Orleans, where Andrew Jackson won his great victory, can match this record, for they could not celebrate during the Civil War.

Paul Reining, owner and manager of Smithville Inn, and his helpers accomplished an almost impossible job of serving their 700 guests in two different buildings a characteristic Inn dinner in one and one-half hours.

A force of 20 cooks and kitchen helpers, and 22 waiters served a chicken and ham dinner. They served 14 hams, 250 chickens, unnumbered dishes of mashed potatoes and gravy, gallons of coffee, and 650 baked apples to an enthusiastically hungry crowd. Homemade biscuits and sweet rolls were available throughout the meals, and at least 500 doughnuts were baked on the spot to augment the 50 cakes prepared for the banquet.

This was the largest banquet ever served in the Smithville Inn, and Manager Reining is not soliciting a repeat performance in the near future, he stated, when he was approached on the "morning after".

Birthplace of Inn Maid Noodles As company legend has it, Sevilla Reining's handmade egg noodles grew so popular with restaurant patrons that people started buying extra to take home. One Saturday evening, a guest requested five pounds of noodles to take home, which Paul happily provided him. When Sevilla noted at the end of the evening that everything was prepared and ready to get them through the Sunday lunch rush, Paul sheepishly admitted selling the noodles and leaving them short for the next day. "Sevilla got up at 4 o'clock Sunday morning and, equipped with a rolling pin, went to work painstakingly rolling out another batch of noodles. They were ready in time for Sunday dinner and Sevilla, a bit sleepy, perhaps, had, in effect, launched the Inn into its first extra-curricular business venture: the making and packaging of Smithville Inn noodles"[12]. By the early 1950s, the noodle business had grown large enough to warrant its own establishment in Millersburg under the name Inn Maid. Inn Maid Noodle Co. established by son Paul Finley Reining [13]

Mr. Reining, Founder of the World Famous Smithville Inn, Dies Mr. Reining Founder of the World Famous Smithville Inn, Dies. [14] Paul W. Reining, known by many Rittman residents, died Friday after a lingering illness. Mr. Reining was the owner of the world-famous Smithville Inn.

Mr. Reining founded and served as general manager of Smithville Inn Inc., and was president of Inn Maid Products Inc., located near Millersburg. The Smithville Inn has served food to visitors for over half a century.

He was an active member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church and was a former trustee at Wittenberg College. He was active in many civic endeavors in the Smithville area and was a member of the Orrville Rotary Club and the Smithville Promoter's Club.

He leaves his wife, Sevilla; a son Paul Jr. of Millersburg; a daughter, Ruthe Vitall of Smithville, and five grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Monday at St. Paul's Church in Smithville.

  • Contractor: Clarence King around 1954 - renovated the Inn's kitchen 75 ft. by 25 ft. lasting for 4 months costing $35,000 - All Stainless steel & asphalt tile floor, tile walls, asbestos ceiling covered with enamel making it fire resistant. New blower system, Indirect lighting, lard cans and flour cans. The stainless steel work-tables, diswashers and other furnishings were built by Orrville's Nuroy Roofing Company.
  • unknown date purchased old town hall and annexed it to the west wing of the original building
  • 1936 - built large banquet room as extension of old town hall
  • 1945 - Complete [15]
  • Features: Elevator added around 1954 - leads from the kitchen to the Reining home upstairs giving Paul and Sevilla a quick escape from the chicken dinner business.[16]
  • 400 seating capacity
  • 1 restaurant - menu Family style chicken; noodles
  • Colonial and Chestnut rooms: both part of the original stage coach tavern reflect the Colonial atmosphere.; Crystal room and Ballroom: later additions to Inn reflect the modernism. Staircase: Solid cherry at rear of ballroom leads to the mezzanine floor. [17]

Slogans

  • 1959 - "Where Chicken is King!" [18]

Timeline

  • 1818 - June 25, Land which houses the Inn was granted to its first owner, James Hazlett assignee of Thomas Taylor by President James Monroe. It was operated shortly after this date. [19]
  • 1818 - Established, the original tavern provided both room and board for stage coach passengers. The Inn is located on Route 4, a stay coach command stop. [20]
  • 1900 - Remolded
  • During Prohibition the "Feds" made a visit to the proprietors of Smithville Inn. Allegedly, owner was operating an illeagal still on the premise and was taken away, the Inn closed. [21]
  • late 1920s - Young couple came from Akron seeing an ad of a new establishment, on the Square in Smithville, Ohio, a combination gas station, restaurant was up for sale, but the couple was a day late as the building sold the day before. Rush Webner, stationmaster at Nickle Plate Railroad, and prominent Smithvilleite came along. Rush introduced himself and suggested they would be more introduced in the building across the street. He gave the couple a tour of the Inn and before they left the Reinings decided the building had much potential. [22]
  • 1929 - Inn purchased by Paul & Sevilla Reining for $2,800[23] and began world famous chicken dinners and making "Inn Maid Noodles"
  • - The rental of rooms was discontinued shortly after the Reining's purchased the Inn. [24]
  • Later during WPA days - Paul Reining bought Smithville's old town hall.[25]
  • 1940 - Paul Reining, opened a new dining room at Branch location in downtown Wooster, Ohio [26]
  • 1945 - The restaurant is making it on its own had a complete renovation. Utilizing chestnut trees from the Reining's Millersburg Farm for paneling. Paul Reining's also launched his antique collection. [27]
  • 1946 - Operated the Dining Hall at the Wayne County Fair [28]
  • 1948 - Ohio Central Telephone Corporation Directory p. 104
  • 1952 - Paul Finley Jr. Reining established the Inn Maid Noodle Co on his grandfather's farm along Port Washington Road in Millersburg. Hesetup shop in its current location with a single noodle machine. The machine is now showcased at the Historical House in Millersburg. He was affectionately called "Noodle" [29]
  • 1953 - Reining family operating as owners.
  • 1954 - July, 25th anniversary with Paul W. and Sevilla Reining as owners. [30]
  • 1959 - Listed in "Duncan Hines "Adventures in Good Eating" and the "AAA Tour Book" [31]
  • 1961 - After death of Paul W. Reining and Sevilla Maxwell Reining Emma Ruthe Reining Wolf she continued to operate the Smithville Inn until her retirement to Clearwater, Florida. [32]

16 June 2021.

  • 2010 - Richard Hammond and Kathryn M. Hammond now operating as co-owners.
  • 2019 - March, Smithville Inn closed its doors.

Newspaper Article Citations

1920s

  • August 11, 1926: "Smithville Inn: Under New Management - R. G. Everstine", The Daily Record, p. 9.
  • February 16, 1927: "Smithville Inn: Under New Management - J. L. Brink, Proprietor", The Daily Record, p. 9.
  • March 1, 1927: "The Smithville Inn Will Soon Be Under New Hands Again. The name of the party is as yet unknown, but is expected to take charge in a few days' time.", The Daily Record, p. 4.
  • March 03, 1927: "For Sale - The Smithville Inn at a bargain. Pool room in connection. Must sell on account of sickness I. L. Brink, smithville, Ohio, OH.", Rittman Press, p. 4.
  • March 8, 1927: "Mr. and Mrs. Brink, ex proprietors of Smithville Inn, left on Saturday for New York where they will stay with their parents. The new proprietors took charge on Monday.", The Daily Record, p. 4.
  • March 10, 1927: "Cammarn Sells 900 Taxi Co.: Dempsey and Murray Will Operate it From New Location", The Daily Record, p. 3.

1940s

1950s

1960s


  • June 29, 1961: "Paul Reining, Well-Known Church Leader, Restaurateur, Dies at 64", The Creston Journal, p. 1.


2000s



2010s

Newspaper ads

Newspaper citations with no attached images

  • October 9, 1974: "World at Large By Lin Williams: Ohio's Stagecoach Inn's Charming" by Lin Williams, Rittman Press, p. 4.

Gallery

Letterheads

Logos

Photos

Maps

Ads

Newspaper Clippings/Full Text

  • Reining Opens at Wooster, [41]

  • Campaign ad. [42]

Historical documents

  • Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON

References

  1. ↑ Mae Beeler obituary.
  2. ↑ Paul Reining obituary. The Daily Record, July 12, 2007.
  3. ↑ Where Chicken Is King: The Story of Smithville Inn On Its Twenty-Fifth Anniversary, 1954, p.[6]
  4. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1926 July 7, p. 2.
  5. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1926 August 11, p. 3.
  6. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1927 February 16, p. 9
  7. ↑ Rittman Press, Rittman, Ohio. 1927 March 3, p. 4.
  8. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1927 March 10, p. 3.
  9. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1928 October 3, p. 6.
  10. ↑ Community News, Shreve, Ohio. 1946 August 30, p.2.
  11. ↑ Rittman Press, Rittman, Ohio. 1940 January 12, p. 19.
  12. ↑ Where Chicken Is King: The Story of Smithville Inn On Its Twenty-Fifth Anniversary, 1954, p.[3]
  13. ↑ Paul Reining obituary. The Daily Record, July 12, 2007.
  14. ↑ Rittman Press, Rittman, Ohio. 1961 June 29, p. 2.
  15. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON
  16. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON
  17. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON
  18. ↑ 1959 Smithville Inn menu
  19. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON
  20. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON
  21. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON, p. 54
  22. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON, p. 54.
  23. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON
  24. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON
  25. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON
  26. ↑ Creston Courier, Creston, Ohio. 1940 Feb 12, p.2.
  27. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON
  28. ↑ "Smithville Inn Folk to Operate Dining Room at Fair" Shreve Community, Friday, August 30, 1946, p.2.
  29. ↑ Paul Reining obituary. The Daily Record, July 12, 2007.
  30. ↑ Smithville Inn and Its First 25 Years: The Story of the Re-birth of an Old Inn. By Gunther I. Jacobson. Courier Publishing Co. Orrville, Ohio. 1954. OHIO WAYNE BUSINESS JACOBSON
  31. ↑ 1959 Smithville Inn menu
  32. ↑ "Emma Wolff." Daily Record, The (Wooster, OH), sec. Obituaries, 29 July 2003. NewsBank: Access World News, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/162778C165719628. Accessed
  33. ↑ Rittman Press, Rittman, Ohio. 1926 May 6, p. 6.
  34. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1926 July 9, p. 4.
  35. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1926 July 16, p. 4.
  36. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1926 July 23, p. 5.
  37. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1926 August 11, p5.
  38. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1926 September 3, p. 4.
  39. ↑ Daily Record, Wooster, Ohio. 1926 November 12, p. 7.
  40. ↑ "Smithville Inn Folk to Operate Dining Room at Fair" "Paul Reining will operate the Dining hall at the fair this year." Shreve Community, Friday, August 30, 1946, p.2.
  41. ↑ Orrville Courier-Crescent, Creston, Ohio. 1940 Feb 12, p.2.
  42. ↑ Rittman Press, Rittman, Ohio. 1942 July 16, p. 5.

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